This article originally appeared in the March 12, 2018 issue of SpaceNews magazine. The world’s biggest, best established satellite operators talk of broadband as an enormously lucrative opportunity. But in truth, nothing is causing them more frustration. Demand for ever-faster broadband internet connections is maxing out today’s satellites, setting off an industry-wide stampede toward increasingly powerful high-throughput satellites (HTS). While that might sound like a good thing, the rush to HTS is driving down bandwidth prices so fast that some fairly low-mileage satellites are struggling to keep up. Seasoned operators,…

WASHINGTON — SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk said March 11 the company could begin tests of part of its Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) launch system as soon as next year, reiterating a schedule he provided last month. Musk participated in an on-stage interview, announced on less than a day’s notice, at the South By Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas. During the appearance, he said the company was progressing on the development of BFR, which features a first-stage booster and upper-stage “spaceship,” the latter able to travel to and land…

Get the Mach newsletter. SUBSCRIBE A pair of test satellites launched into orbit by SpaceX on Feb. 22 may herald the dawn of a truly global internet, one that makes high-speed service available not only in cities and in rural areas covered by cellphone towers but at almost any point on the planet. Dubbed Tintin A and Tintin B, the satellites are prototypes for SpaceX’s “Starlink” initiative, which aims to place thousands of satellites in low-Earth orbit to supply broadband internet to users on the ground — including people in…

Reaching a top speed of more than 27,600 km/h, the Falcon 9 blasted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, carrying three satellite payloads shortly after 9.17am EST (2.17pm GMT) today. And according to Brazil’s defence minister, SpaceX‘s billionaire owner Elon Musk has his sights on launching a rocket from the Amazon. SpaceX hopes to successfully deliver the 12,000 satellites into space by the year 2020 as part of a project to deliver widespread internet coverage to the US and rest of the world. Brazil’s defence minister Raul Jungmann…

An illustrative video clip shows a passenger preparing to board a future Uber air taxi. (Uber via YouTube) More Pop up some more popcorn: Billionaire Elon Musk has gotten himself into another CEO vs. CEO challenge, this time with Uber’s Dara Khosrowshahi over air taxis. Uber and many other companies are working on electric-powered, flying vehicles that could carry passengers autonomously between landing pads, circumventing traffic jams. Uber has said it could start testing what are basically flying cars by 2020 in Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth and Dubai. Khosrowshahi —…

An Earth-observation satellite built for Spain and two experimental satellites for internet service were successfully launched into orbit from California at dawn Thursday, creating a brief light show as it arced over the Pacific Ocean west of Los Angeles. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, reusing a first stage that had flown on a previous launch, lifted off at 6:17 a.m. from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Californians were hoping for a repeat of the spectacle that occurred during a Dec. 22 Falcon 9 launch during exceptionally clear twilight conditions, but this…

The US-based rocket manufacturer initiated the first stage of the its ambitious Starlink project shortly after 9.17am EST (2.17pm GMT) today. Reaching a top speed of more than 27,600 km/h, the Falcon 9 blasted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, carrying three satellite payloads. The first stage of the mission saw the company deliver a Spanish reconnaissance PAZ satellite. Tom Praderio, SpaceX firmware engineer, said: “The primary payload is right now gliding from that second stage. “Soon it will unfurl its own solar panels and start communicating with…